Filing equipment



Jan. 11, 1938. c. J.. STREETER 2,104,913

FILING EQUIPMENT Filed Nov. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG 1B F1432 MG. 5

Elm

Jan. 11, 1938. c. J. STREETER FILING EQUIPMENT Ffiled Nov. 18, 1936 Jan.11, 1938., c. J. STREETER FILING EQUIPMENT Filed Nov. 18, 1936 5Sheets-Sheet 4 FlIGaLDZB Gum Jan. 11', 1938.

c. J. STREETER FILING EQUIPMENT Filed Nov. 18, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 22 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described hereinmay be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the UnitedStates for governmental purposes without the payment to me of anyroyalty there- This is a continuation in part of my application forFiling and stacking equipment, Serial No. 17,291, filed April 19, 1935.

This invention pertains to filing equipment which may be consideredascombining practically all of the requirements of the present socalledstock types of library, commercial and other forms of filing equipmentinto a single unit or series of units.

One object of this invention is the provision of filing equipment,having a heterogeneous group of cooperating and interchangeable portablefiling units, such for example, as shelves,

drawers, cases and trays, and a framework of partitions adapted tooperatively and yet removably receive the same.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means on'the cabinetor compartment forming partitions so spaced and "arranged as to receiveany one of the group of portable units described and claimedhereinafter, which portable units will constitute, when inserted intothe framework, a multiple of the spaced means on the partitions. I

Several embodiments of my invention are known to me,- but according tothat by means of which the invention may be practiced, I provided acabinet comprising a framework or parembodiment. of my invention claimedin my copending application Serial No. 17,291, may be the formation of apartition or framework, including the runways, from a single andintegral sheet of material incised or stamped, out and folded aboutreinforcing. members. I further provide and claim herein, aheterogeneous group of portable filing uriits, such as shelves anddrawers which are preferably, but not necessarily so however, of suchdesign and depthas to constitute, when placed upon the runways, a multi-The runways preferably ple or a division of the spaced runways in orderthat they may be interchangeable, and as such,

will in no way interfere with the shelf or drawer next above or below,regardless of which of the unoccupied runways they may be placed upon.

If the portable filing units are of the preferred depth they may beplaced on the runways so as to give any desired space between them orthey may be so placed on the runways as to'form an uninterrupted frontor face on the compartment between adjoining partitions.

Upon the partition runways and upon the group of filing units, intendedto ride upon the runways, are provided cooperative engaging means toretain or stop the filing units at predetermined positions upon therunways. Some of .the filing units are provided with sliding or rollingmembers to facilitate their operation upon the runways. An embodiment ofmy invention the formation of a double-action rollor and extension slideon the sides of some of the filing units for suspending the units atpredetermined open positions, the construction and arrangement of whichwill be described hereinafter.

Equipment, arrangement, and construction thereof, having thecharacteristics of the invention and by which the invention may bepracticed is intended to be illustrated by the accompanying drawings inwhich- Figures 1A and 1B illustrate perspective views of the assembledfiling and stacking equipment. Figure 1A illustrating decks thereof anda form of the equipment suspended from overhead beams, and Figure 1Billustrating an unsuspended type of the equipment which, if desired, maybe portable;

Figure 2, a vertical cross section of the runways of an intermediatepartition, taken at 22 Figures 6 and 10;

Figure 3, an elevation of an intermediate partition, taken at 3-3,Figures 6, 9 and 10;

Figure 4, an elevation of an end partition,

I taken at 4-4 Figure 11;

Figure 5, a vertical cross section of an intermediate partition, takenat 5-5 Figures 6 and 10;

Figure 6, a part elevation of'an intermediate partition or panel, ahorizontal cross section of which is shown in Figure 10;

Figure '7, a part elevation of an end panel, or partition, a horizontalcross section of which is shown in Figure 11;

Figure 8, a vertical cross section of an end partition,'taken at 8-8Figure 11;

Figure 9, a horizontal section of the outer end of a runway of anintermediate partition, taken at 9-9 Figure 6;

Figure 10, a horizontal section of runways in an intermediate partition,taken at Ill-I0 Figure 6;

Figure 11, a horizontal section of runways in. an end partition, takenat I l-l I Figure 7;

Figure 12, a perspective view, in section, showing shelves, intermediatepartition and book-end;

Figure 13, a plan view of shelf;

Figure 14, a vertical cross section of the central portion of a shelf,taken at Il-H Figure 13;

Figure 15, an elevation of a forward portion of an end of a shelf, takenat I5-l5 Figure 13;

Figure 16, a vertical cross section of one end of a shelf, taken atI6-I6 Figure 13;

Figure 17, a vertical cross section through the front and back of ashelf, taken at ,I'I-I'I or II'-I'I' Figure 13;

Figure 18, a plan view of the book-end shown in perspective in Figure12;

Figure 19, a vertical cross section of a book-end, taken at I9-I9Figures 18 and 20;

Figure 20, a rear view in elevation of a book- Figure 21A, a sideelevation of a drawer suspension and a drawer in closed position in acompartment; 2

Figure 2113, a side elevationof a drawer suspension and a drawer in openposition in a compartment;

Figure 22, a section of a levered eccentric iIock, taken at 22-22 Figure213;

Figure 23, a vertical section of a drawer and 1 suspension, taken at23-23 Figure 21A;

Figure 24, a side elevation of a drawer suspension for a shallow drawer,in closed position;

Figure 25, a vertical section of 'a shallow drawer and its suspensiontaken at 25-25 Figure 24; Figure 26, a vertical section of a shallowdrawer and its suspension taken at 26-26 Figure 24;

Figure 27, an elevation of a shallow drawer suspension, taken at 2I-21Figure 24;

Figure 28, a vertical section, through drawer and compressor, taken at28-28 Figures 29 and Figure 29, a sectional elevation of the rear of adrawer compressor, taken at 29-28 Figures 28 and 30;

Figure 30, a plan view of drawer compressor;

Figure 31A, a side elevation of a rolling shelf in closed position in acompartment;

Figure 313, a side elevation of a rolling shelf in opened position;

Figure 32, a plan of one end of rolling shelf shown in position upon arunway, takenv at 32-32 Figure 31A;

Figure 33A, a section through an end of a rolling shelf, taken at3311-3311 Figure 31A;

Figure 333, a section through an end of a rolling shelf, taken at33b-33b Figure 313;

Figure 34, a perspective view of a tray case;

Figure 35, an end elevation of a tray'case showing roller and slidingsupports; and

Figure 36, a vertical section, through a tray ggse and roller support,taken at 38-38 Figure In order to fully understand those portions of theinventions which are claimed herein, namely, the filing units, itbecomes necessary to also describe the cabinet structure, designed foruse in connection therewith and claimed in my'copending application,Serial No. 17,291, in which I provide a plurality of uprightintermediate partitions I (see Figs. 1A, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10) andupright end partitions 2 (see Figs. 1A, 4, 7, 8 and 11) spaced to formcompartments having a plurality of horizontal runways 3upon which theheterogeneous group of portable filing units, such as sliding shelves 4,rolling shelves 5, deep drawers 6, shallow drawers I, trays or drawers8, tray cases 9, and other articles to be described hereinafter, mayremovably and operably ride. A

' preferred, but not limited, object of my invention is the spacing ofthe runways 3 upon the partitions I and 2 at predetermined equalintervals, as is indicated by character reference In, or spacing them ata multiple of the predetermined intervals. Likewise, it is an object ofmy invention, though not a. limited one, that the heterogeneous group ofportable filing units embrace a multiple or a division of the spacingsI8 and runways 3 when placedupon the runways.

The partitions I and 2 may be constructed to form a single tier orrange, or, as shown in Figure 1A, a double tier or range in order thatfiling units may be inserted from either or both sides of compartmentstoward a rear or central column II of the partitions. In theconstruction of partitions I, located intermediate the ends of a rangeof compartments, the partitions should preferably have runways extendinglaterally on both sides (see Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10) and in theconstruction of a partition 2 (see Figs 4, 7, 8 and 11) for the end of arange of compartments, it is preferable to have runways only on one sideof the partition, the other side may be finished off by a panel l2, asshown in Figures 1A, 4, 7, 8 and 11.

The runways 3 may be an inegral part of or may be supported by avertical member or members, such as front or edge posts l3 (see Figs.1A, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10 and 11) and a rear or central column II. Thecolumn II; of course, is intermediate the edge posts I3 of a doublepartition. The runways preferably extend laterally from the sides of theposts I3 and commence at a point rearward from the front edge of saidpost (see Figs. 9 and 10). The center post or column II is of such widththat the runways finish or merge flush (see Fig. 10) with the sidesthereof. There is thereby furnished a clear, unbroken surface free ofall projecting lugs or other obstructions which may damage books, orother materials, and which permits such material to be pushed past thecenter column II and onto an adjacent shelf in the adjoining compartmentin the rear. Thus, it will be understood from what has been stated thatthe width of the flat surface or surfaces I4 of the runways exceeds thatof the thickness of the front edge portion of the post I3, but finishflush, in width, with the width of the wider center column I I.

One or more intermediate vertical reinforcing members I5 may beinterposed between the posts l3 and II to support the central portionsof the runways 3 and to distribute loads of filing units the shelves 4.These means are provided to hold v the shelves 4 in operative positionupon the run-- ways and may be disengaged, for removal purposes, byslightly raising the front edge of the and stopping means to bedescribed hereinafter on the filing units may be engaged thereby.

The portable filing units are of such size and shape as to fitsubstantially flush (see Fig. 1A) with the front edges of the posts l3when the units are in closed position. The filing units are of suchlength as to extend from the runways of the partitions together andalso'to provide means for transferring loads on one runway to otherrunways of the partition. The reinforcing members 15 are preferablyinterposed between these and articles placed in the compartments, ispreferably sustained from above, as indicated in Figure 1A, and forrigidity and placement purposes legs are provided at the baseof theframework. These legs may also serve to assist in sustaining theframework when the cabinet is heavily loaded. The compartments or rangeof cabinets may also be constructed so as to provide for a plurality ofdecks I9, as indicated in Figure 1A;

Cabinets of the type herein described may be portable instead ofstationary, and may be constructed by the elimination of overheadsuspensions (see Figure 1B) and if desired, the substitution of a base,rollers, casters, or any anti-friction elements, for the stationarylegs.

Doors, such as indicated by 20 in Figure 1B for enclosing thecompartment or cabinet, may also be provided. These doors may bepivotally attached to members such as angle iron members 2! and 22,extending along the top and bottom of the face of the compartment orrange, as is shown in Figures 1A, 1B, 6, 10 and 11. These members 2| and22 extend horizontally from one partition to another and serve also asheretofore mentioned, as means to retainthe proper spacings, positionsand alignments of the partitions. The base angle 22 may also serve as aguard rail to prevent injury to the equipment by trucks, etc.

If'the partitions are formed of sheet material the sheet may be cut andfolded about reinforcing T-irons or U-irons 23 (as shown in Figures 9and 10), which irons have their two rear arm portions cut or'pur chedout at intervals to form the spaces 10 between the runways. The engagingmembers of the portable units are thereby permitted to run back on therunways through these openings in the arm portions of the T or U-irons.The remaining arm portions and the leg of the T-irons, or yoke of theU-irons, form the posts l3 and interiorly support the front ends 'isshown at 29in Figure 11.

of the partition 2 is left-plain and only cut or stamped to provideventilators, ornamental designs, etc., as'may be desired. The insideofthe end panel I2 may be reinforced by some appropriate reinforcing andsecuring members, such as a predetermined distance.

Slightly different 'designs of sheet metal partions are provided for inmy copending application, Serial No. 17,291. These designs, however, areof similar purpose and function, the only particular difference beingthe type and shape of reinforcing members for the sheet metalpartitions.

The intermediate and end partitions I and 2 mayalso be of cast materialas shown inmy eopending application. While these castings are slightlydifferent in design and construction than sheet metal, due tothe.diiferent characteristics of the material, they are; designed toaccomplish the same results as sheet material partitions. The functionand operation of the portable units upon the runways of the castmaterial partitions are similar as far as the characteristics of thematerial will permit, and in most cases may be arranged so as to beinterchanged from east material compartments to sheet materialcompartments.

In conjunction with the cabinet structure described, the inventionsherein claimed comprise the heterogeneous group of portable filing unitsheretofore mentioned. The shelves 4 of this group are preferablyconstructed of sheet material and are often provided withuniformlyspaced means 25, such as holes, for interchangeably, and yetoperably, engaging book ends, rests, or

' compressors 26 having means 21, such as hooks 28 of the shelf is bentback underneath itself at the shelf ends where it embraces thehorizontal flange of an inverted angle iron 29 and is secured thereto.(See Fig. 16.) The surface portion 28 also continues downward into afront edge portion 3|] (see Figs. 12 and 17) substantially the width ofa runway 3, and thence inward. The downward front edge 39 extends thefull length of the surface portion 28, thereby enclosing the ends of theangle irons 29 (see Figs. 12 and 13). The angle irons 29, as shown inFigures 15 and 16, and in dotted lines in Figure 13, continue within theends of the shelves to where they abut the downward front edge portion30. At this point the horizontal flanges of the irons 29 are removed andthe vertical flanges are bent at right angles (see Fig. 13) toward eachother and are secured to the inner face of the front edge portion 30.The lug I1 is formed by cutting a portion of the sheet metal whichembraces the horizontal flange,

and/or a portionof the horizontal flange of the angle iron 29, andbending the same downwardly at right angles to the horizontal flange(see Figs. 15 and '16). v

The rear edge portion 3| (see Figs. 12 and 13) of the shelf is formedsimilarly to that of the front edge portion, except that it terminatesshort of the full length of the shelf. Likewise, the horizontal flangesof the angle irons 29 terminate short of abutting the downward rear edgeportion 3|. Cut-away corners 32, or notches, are thereby provided at therear corners of the shelf to receive a corner of the centeror rear postH (see Figs. 12 and 13) of the partitions and act as stops to preventthe insertion of the shelf beyond Although the horizontal-flanges of theangle irons 29 are cut away to form the notches 32, the vertical flangesthere of continue into abutment with the inner wall of .the rear edgeportion 3| where they are bent at right angles toward each other and aresecured book-end, the material is bent sharply back upon or verticallydownward past itself to form the contact or face portion 38 andcontinues a suitable distance where it is bent at a right angle andcontinues into the base or' horizontal portion 31 .of the book-end. Atthe latter angle the material is cut to provide lugs 21 which continue,in a plane with the vertical portion 36, a short distance below theplaneof the base 31 and thence are bent at right angles underneath,toward, and substantially parallel to, the base. A portionof the base 31is bent sharply back upon itself .to form the reinforcing portion 34.Right-angled triangular reinforcing members 35 are vertically interposedwithin the right angle formed by the base and face portions 31 and 36,respectively. The edges which form the right angle of the member 35 arebent at right angles and are secured to the base and face portions-31and 36.

The next of my filing units are the drawers 6 and I, shown on the thirdsheet of the drawings, Figures'21A to 27. While I do not limit myinvention to a particular type of drawer per se, I do claim as myinvention the means described hereinafter for facilitating theiroperation upon the runways (shown indotted lines in the latter figures)of the filing. compartment and to support the drawers when in extendedposition, namely,

the rolling suspensions 38 and 39, for the deep and shallow drawers 6and 1, respectively, and their cooperating means on the sides of thedrawers. As shown in Figure 213, these especially designed suspensionswill permit the full extension of the drawer from the compartment andwill suspend the same in this position without binding or injury toeither the drawer, suspension or compartment partitions, and yet operatewith a maximum efficiency. These suspensions are operably yet removablyattached to the sides of the drawers and are of such construction as tobe readily removed from the compartments with the drawers in order toleave the runways entirely clear and free of obstruction for theinsertion of other filing units in their stead.

The means for operably attaching the suspensions to the sides of thedrawers comprise channel-shaped members 40 and angle-shaped members 4|(see Figs. 23, 25, 26 and 2'7), substantially the length of the drawers,attached horizontally to the outer sides of the drawers a predetermineddistance from each other. The vertically posi- P tioned suspensionmembers 38 and 39 are substantially the length of the drawers andoperate, upon and within the members 40 and 4|, horizontally along theouter sides of the drawers. I a

The suspension 38 for the deep drawers 6, Figures 21A, 21B and 23', areprovided with vertical rollers in three horizontal planes. The rollers42, of the center plane, are on the outside of the suspension 38 andoperate upon the runways 3 of the partitions and 2, while rollers 43 and44 of the other planes are on the side of the suspension adjacent thedrawer .and operate within. the drawer channel 40 and the drawer angle4|, re-' spectively. The planes of the suspension rollers 43 and 44 andthe drawer tracks 40 and 4| are spaced first so as to cooperate witheachother ing a length substantially that of the thickness ofrespectively; and second, so as to extend within the spaces l betweenthe .runways, while the plane of the suspension rollers 42 is such thatthe rollers 42 ride upon the runways 3. The drawer 6 is of such depth,and the members 38, 40, 4|, 42,

ference with the insertion of other drawers or other types of filingunits on the runways immediately above and below the drawer. This willbe found to be true regardless of where the drawer may Jbe inserted intothe compartment if the runways and spacings thereof are uniform.

Thus it will be seen that the members 40 and 4| act as tracks andguidesfor the rollers and 44,

and prevent lateral displacement of the suspension 38, the .track 4| androller 44 acting as guides and means for preventing a binding betweenthe various members particularly when the drawer is in open or suspendedposition. The lower rollers 43- and the track 40, however, carry theweight of the drawer, and its load, which'load is in turn transferredthrough the suspension 38' to the load-carrying rollers 42. The rollers42, in turn, transfer the load to the runways 3 upon which the rollersoperate.

The face portion of the drawers is wider than the drawer itself andprojects into flanges havthe suspensions when installed on the sides ofthe drawers. The face of the drawersand their facial flanges are of suchwidth asto pass between the posts |3 of adjacent partitions andcompletely cover the end of the runways 3. By these flanges thesuspensions are shielded and concealed from view and are prohibited fromrolling forward there-beyond When the drawer is being moved from an openposition into the compartment, or closed position, the flanges push thesuspension back into the compartment in a telescopic fashion along thesides of the drawer.

When a drawer with its suspensions is removed from the compartment, asdescribed hereinafter, the suspensions may be locked in non-rollingpositions along the-sides of the drawer with their rear endssubstantially flush with the back of the drawer. For this purpose alevered eccentric lock 45 is provided on the deep drawers 6, shown indetail in Figure 22, pivotally attached to the drawers on the verticalleg of the angle iron keepers 4|. The eccentric portion of the lockprojects through an opening in a horizontal portion of the suspeny whenthe drawer is pulled outward the action of the rollers causes thesuspensions. to move outward with approximately half the speed. andapproxi mately half the distance as that of the drawer, so that when thedrawer is fully opened the suspensions have traveled only half theirlength.

The drawer in fully/opened position is thereby suspended. upon half ofthe suspensions, the

other half of the suspensions remaining within the compartment. Insuspended position, 'an upward thrust is brought upon the rearmostrollers 42 which rollers are of such diameter as to immediately engagethe under portion of the runways and thereby prevent a binding andtilting of the drawer.

Means for stopping the advance of the suspensions, after they have beenwithdrawn from the compartment by the drawer substantially half theirlength, are provided on the suspension members 38 and 39 (see Figs. 21A,21B and 24). These means comprise arms 46 pivotally attached to thesuspensions but having their pivotal point slightly forward of thelongitudinal center of gravity in order that there will normally be adownward thrust on the rear end of the arm. This thrust on the rearportion of the arm normally causes the arm to rest in a horizontalposition upon a pin 41a attached to the suspension 38. The pin 41aprojects through a slot in the arm 46, which slot is of a predeterminedlength in order to limit the manual abnormal rotation of the arm beyonda predetermined movement.

The pivoted arm 46 is provided with an upward projection 50 which islocated on the arm 46 at a point approximately the middle of thesuspensions 38 and 39. The purpose of the projection 50 is to engage thedownward closure of the front ends of the runways 3 when the suspensionshave traveled approximately half their length from the compartment andthereby stopping their advance. .The pivoted arm 46 is also providedwith a lever portion 5| which extends forward from 'the base of theprojection 50 and normally passes underneath the closure on the frontends of the runways. Upon the depression of this lever 5|, to a pointwhere it is stopped by pin 41a, the projection 50 is released from itsengagement with the inner ends of the runways, andthe drawer carryingthe suspensions may be removed from the compartment.

Means to prevent any possibility of the rollers slipping laterally offof the runways are provided on the suspension members. These meanscomprise a block 41 provided with a flange 48 which projects upunderneath the runways 3 and acts as a guide with respect to the lowerinner edge of the runways. Flange guides '49, similar to flanges 48 onblocks 41, may also be provided at other planes on the suspensions tocooperate with other runways.

The flange guides 48 and 49 are positioned slightly'to the rear of therearmost rollers, and as these rearmost rollers drop oil? of the ends cfthe runways, in removing the drawer and suspensions from thecompartment, the suspensions are thereby lowered sufficiently to permitthe flanges 48 and 49 to pass outward underneath the closures onthe'ends of the runways.

In addition to the means for stopping the suspensions at a predeterminedpoint upon the runways, means are also provided for stopping the advanceof the drawer, upon the suspensions, at a fully opened position. Meansfor this purpose are shown in Figures 21A and 21B, and comprise an anglebracket, lug, or lip 52, provided on the suspension 38, which is engagedby a lug 53, provided on the drawer angle 4|, when the drawer hastraveled approximately half its length upon the suspensions. In otherwords, the drawer is stopped on the suspensions and the suspensions arestopped on the runways, respectively, when the drawer is fully openedand the suspensions are withdrawn from the compartment approximatelyhali their length. n

The shallow drawers 1 and their suspensions 39, shown in Figures 24, 25,26 and 27, are similar to the deep drawers 6 and suspensions 38,heretofore described, except that it may not be desirable to providemore than two planes of rollers for the shallow drawers. As shown in thelatter figures, the roller 44 is eliminated and in its stead a guideflange 54 is adaptedto project up into the angle keeper 4| and act as aguide.

Another desirable modification for the shallow drawers 1 is theelimination of the eccentric lock 45, as used in connection with thedeep drawers 6, and the substitution of a sliding lock 41b (Figures 24and ,27); This member 41b is mounted upon the inner face of thesuspension 39 by means of bolts, rivets, or screws passing through avertical slotin the slidable lockin member, whereby the member may bepushed ,upward-sufliciently to permit a prong or lug 47c thereon to passinto an opening in the horizontal portion of the angle iron keeper 4| onthe side of the drawer and hold the suspension against horizontalmovement after the drawer has been removed from the compartment. The

slidable locking member is also provided with a, transverse portionwhich projects through a slot in the suspension 39 and serves as meansfor manually sliding the member into and out of a locking position.

A still further desirable modification for use in connection with theshallow drawers 1 and suspensions 39 is' the elimination of stops 52 and53, as used in connection with the deep drawers 6 and suspensions 38,and the substitution of lugs or blocks 4111 (Figs. 24 and within therear ends of the angle iron keepers 4| which lugs are engaged by theguide flanges 54, on the suspensions 39, when the drawer is extendedapproximately half its length from the suspensions.

The drawers in general may also be provided with sliding or hinged lids(not shown) so as to have the material within the, drawers completelyenclosed even when the drawers are removed from the compartments. Forthis purpose the drawers may be provided with inner side wall grooves 55(Figs. 23, 25, 26 and 27). The drawer may also be provided withventilators if desired.

Removable card or document rests on compressors 56 are also provided forthe drawers 6 and 1. These are illustrated in Figures 28, 29 and 30, andcomprise a compressor somewhat similar in structure to that of thebook-end 26 (Fig. 12) except that the compressor 58 is provided withhorizontally disposed guideways 51 (Fig. 29) which are adapted toslidingly engage keeper flanges 58 provided on a base member 59. Thebase member 59 and the compressor 56 constitute a unit in and of itselfand is adapted to merely set within a drawer. The material flled thereinmay be removed, intact, with the base and compressor, leaving the drawerfree for other material or for receiving another loaded or unloadedcompressor unit. The base member 59 is provided with an end member 59aagainst which the material may be compressed by compressor 56, and isalso provided with stops 60 adapted to receive downwardly projectinglugs on the movable compressor 56 which hold the compressor at anydesired position upon the base 59. A removable retainer rod 6| may alsobe provided upon which punched filing material may be threaded. This rodis attached to the end member 59a, passes through an opening in thecompressor, and is removably connected to another end member ssb whienis hinged to the base member 59. The end member 5% is hinged in orderthat it may be lowered to permit punched material, or the compressor 56,to'

be threaded on the rod 6|. The rod 6| may be removably connected to thehinged end member 59b in any desirable manner, such for example, as isillustrated in Figures 28 and'30, as by one or more nuts threaded ontothe rod 6| fore and aft of the end member. 59b.

Another filing unit adapted to be used in'connection with my filingequipment is the rolling shelf 5, shown in Figures 31A, 31B, 32, 33A and333, which is intended primarily for a working and ready-reference tablewhen in an extended position. This type of shelf is provided withrollers 62 and 63 to-facilitate its operation, rollers 62 being adaptedto carry the weight upon the runways 3, and rollers 63 to prevent abinding between the shelf and the sideof the runways. Means somewhatsimilar to members 46, 50 and 5| provided on the suspensions 38 and 39(Figs. 21 and 2 1) are provided on this type of shelf for engaging thefront enclosed ends of the runways so as to stop the shelf whenwithdrawn a predetermined distance. The operations of the stoppingmembers are as described heretofore in connection with the drawersw AnL- shaped member 64, Figures 31A'and 31B, is provided on the sides ofthe shelf 5 for engaging the ends of the runways and thereby preventingthe insertion of the shelf intp the compartment beyond a predeterminedposition. A portion of this member .64 is provided with a decliningunder edge which, when the shelf is being pushed Another filing unit ofmy equipment is the,

open-faced drawer-like case 9, shown in Figures 34, 35 and 36, which isadapted to carry a plurality of small drawers or trays.8 upon bracketsor angle irons 86 on the inner walls of the case 9 and the partitionsthereof. The case 9 is-providedwith an angle iron 61 attachedhorizontally along the outer sides. of the case. A

rearward portion of the horizontal flange of the angle iron 61 is outfree and bent into a plane with that-of the Verticahfiangeand in thisopening in the horizontal flange is mounted a roller 68. angle iron 61andthe roller 68 are adapted to ride upon the runways 3. The angle iron61 is.

positioned on the side of the case 9 so as to slightly decline towardthe front of the shelf' thereby placingthe contact portion of the roller68 on a plane with the forward end of the horizontal leg of the angleiron .61.- This affords a frictional engagement between the supports 61and the runways3 for the purpose of preventing the case 9- from beingpulledoutwardby the withdrawal of drawers 8. 'By slightly raisingthe'front of the case flthe rol1ers 6B make the case 9 readily movable.-Stops 69 are aiso provided on the sides of the case}! and are adapted Aportion of the horizontal flange of the toabut the posts ll of thepartitions and thereby prevent insertion of the case into thecompartment beyond a predetermined position.

It will be understood from the foregoing that various modifications maybe adaptable and yet.

come within the scope of my invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A shelf comprising a plurality of angle irons, one leg of each ofwhich lies in a horizontal plane, a sheet of metal carried by said angleirons secured to the horizontal legs thereof, the ends of the verticallegs of said angle irons continuing beyond the ends of said horizontallegs, said continuing ends of thevertical legs being bent at rightangles to the remainder of the vertical legs and in a direction oppositefrom the projection direction of said horizontal legs, said metal sheetbeing underlapped around the bent continuing portion of said verticallegs to form the front and rear faces of the shelf.

2 A shelf comprising a pair of angle irons,

oneleg of each of which lies in a horizontal plane across the respectiveendsof said shelf, a sheet of metal carried by said anglev irons andunderlap joined to the respective horizontal legs thereof, the verticallegs of said angle irons having their ends bent at right angles to theintermediate portions of the vertical legs in a direction opposite theprojection direction of the horizontal legs, said metal sheet beingunderlapped around the bent portion of said angle irons to form thefront and rear faces of the shelf, the front face of the'shelf extendingto cover the ends of said horizontal legs. k

3. In combination with-upright sections of a book stack having laterallyextending runways, ashelf comprising a pair of angle irons, one legSSOJO'B eu'qd ['e'luozrxoq on; so qorqm 10 uses go the respective-endsofthe shelf in the manner of an inverted L, a sheet of metal carried bysaid angle irons and underlap joihed to the horizontal legs thereof, thevertical legs of said angle irons having front and rear ends bent atright angles, said metal sheet being underlapped aroundv the bentportion of said angle ironsto form the front and rear faces of theshelf, said sheet of metal being provided with spaced apertures adaptedto receive engaging members of book ends, 'compressors and the like. v4. In combination with upright sections of a book stack having laterallyextending runways, said,shelf' comprising a pair of conversely invertedL-shaped irons, oneleg of each of which liesin a horizontal plane andform shelf end projections adapted to support the shelf upon saidrunways, a sheet of metal carried by said angle irons and underlapjoined to the horizontal legs thereof, and vertical legs of said angleirons continuing from the'shelf end atright angles into the ides of saidshelf, said metal sheet beangle irons to form the'fro'nt and rear facesof the shelf, said sheet of metal being provided with spaced aperturesadapted to receive ,engaging members of book ends, compressors and the.like. 5. In combination with upright sections of a bookstack havinglaterally extending runways, a sheet metal shelf having converselyinverted L- shaped ends formed by portions of a'horizontal shelfsurface-forming member extending laterally over and beyond substantiallyvertical ends on said shelf, said laterally extending portions andvertical ends cooperating respectively with the horizontal surfaces andsides of said runways to support the shelf and tending to prevent asagging thereof, and a depending integral face extending over the endsof said laterally extending portions and the vertical ends, whereby theshelf in operative position conceals said runways.

6. In combination with upright sections of a bookstack having laterallyextending runways, a sheet metal shelf having conversely inverted L-shaped ends formed by portions of a horizontal shelf operably upon saidrunways, means on the ends of the shelf located beneath saidanti-friction means cooperating with said runways tending to prevent abending of the shelf under load stresses and to prevent a bindingbetweenthe ends of said shelf and the sides of said runways, and a detentpivotally attached to said shelf adapted to engage a stop on saidrunways and limit the travel of the shelf on said runways, said detentbeing normally rotatably inoperative during travel and engagement yetmanually rotatable whereby the shelf may be removed from said runways,said de-, tent having means projecting upwardly therefrom adapted tolaterally engage an under-portion of said runways and prevent lateraldisplacement of said shelf. v

8. In combination with spaced upright sections of a cabinet havingspaced laterally extending superposed runways, a shelf movably suspendedbetween runways of adjacent upright sections and between and upon thesuperposed runways of said adjacent uprights with its upper surface on aplane immediately below that of the plane of the bottom of the runwaysnext above the runways upon'which the shelf is suspended and with itslower edge on a plane with that of the bottom of the runways upon whichthe shelf is suspended,

and means on the ends ofsaid shelf adapted to superposed runways, ashelf movably suspended between runways of adJacent upright sections andbetween and upon the superposed runways of each of said adjacentuprights with its upper surface on aplane immediately below that of theplane of the bottom of the runways next above the runways upon which theshelf is suspended and with its lower edge on a plane with that of thebottom of the runways upon which the shelf is suspended,shelf-suspending means on the ends of the shelf within the confines ofthe latter planes operably engaging the surfaces of said runways, andother means on the'ends of the shelf and within the I confines of thelatter planes operably engaging the sides of said runways.

10. In combinatiorf withspaced upright sec rollers on a vertical axisbeneath said vertical rollers positioned as a downward cantilever withrespect to the upper surface of the shelf and operable between saidshelf and the sides of said runways to resist a bending of the shelf anda.

binding between said shelf ends and said runway sides under loadstresses and also to prevent lateral displacement of the shelf when freeof load stresses.

11. A book-end having an upright contact face portion continuing into abase portion at an angle thereto, and having shelf gripping meanscontinuing from the base of and on a plane with said face portion intoan angle beneath the plane of the base portion and terminatingunderneath said base portion. l

12. A book-end having face and base portions at an angle to each other,one end of each'portion terminating at said angle, shelf gripping 7means projecting downwardly from the base of said face portion andterminating underneath said base portion, and means to prevent angulardisplacement between said face and base portions.

13. The combination of a cabinet having runwaysfor supporting portableunits, a drawer, and suspension members for said drawer, said drawersuspension members being mounted horizontally movable along the sides ofsaid drawer, means on the sides of said drawer for retaining saidsuspensions, said suspensions having anti-friction devices carriedthereby for engaging said runways, and other anti-friction devices alsocarried by said suspensions for engaging the suspension-retaining meanson the sides of the drawer, stationary detents on the sides of thedrawer for automatically engaging abutments on the drawer suspensionsand stopping the advance of the drawer from said suspension members at apredetermined length of travel, pivotally mounted detents on thedrawer-suspensions which detents in their normal position of .rest areadapted to automatically engage abutments on the runways and stop thead- ,vance of the drawer suspensions from said cabinet at apredetermined length of travel, said pivotally mounted detents beingnormally rotatable whereby they may be released from saidrunwayabutments for removing the drawer with its suspension members fromsaid cabinet, and manually rotatable levered eccentric. locks mounted onthe sides of the drawers and adapted to engage said suspensions uponmanual rotation for locking said suspension members horizontallyinoperable to the sides of the drawer when removed from the cabinet. I

14. A cabinet comprising compartments the side members of which areprovided with equally spaced laterally extending runways, portable unitseach having a suspension element slidable along the side thereof, meansfor operably attaching said suspension element to the portable unit,said suspension element carrying anti-friction devices engaging withsaid runways and also carrying other anti-friction means for engagingsaid attaching means, and means for locking said suspension elementimmovably along the sides of said units when removed from the cabinet.

15. A cabinet comprising compartments the side members of which areprovidedwith equally spaced laterally extending runways and portableunits, said units each having a suspension element slidable along theside thereof, manually rotatable eccentric locks mounted on the sides ofthe portable units for locking said suspension element inoperativelyto-the portable unit when removed from the cabinet, said suspensionelement carrying anti-friction devices engaging-with said runways, andmeans upon said runways to allow said anti-friction elementspredetermined lengths of travel on said runways.

16. In combination with spaced upright sections of a cabinet havingspaced laterally extending superposed runways, a drawer, and suspensionmembers therefor, a guideway member and a track member superposedhorizontally on and fixed to each side of the drawer, guiding means onsaid suspensions cooperating with said drawer guideways to preventbinding/between said suspensions and drawer and to prevent excessivetilting of said drawer upon said suspensions, anti-friction means ontheinner sides of said suspensions operably engaging said drawerside trackmembers for carrying said drawer, other anti-friction means on the outersides of said suspensions operable upon said runways for suspending andcarrying said suspensions and the drawer carried thereby, and lockingmeans carried by said drawer guideways, said locking means beingmanually operable to prevent relative longitudinal movement of saidsuspensions with respect to said drawer.

17. In a portable filing unit comprising an open-faced drawer-like caseadapted to operably' 18, In combination with spaced upright sections ofa cabinet having spaced laterally extending superposed runways, aportable open faced drawer-like unit having supporting means on thesides thereof operable between and upon the superposed runways ofadjacent uprights, said supporting means comprising a member having alaterally extending flange portion proing surface on the same h rizontalplane as that of the forward end of semi declining frictional support.

19. A portable filing unit adapted for use in combination with uprightmembers having spaced laterally extending superposed runways comprisingan open-faced drawer-like case adapted to house a plurality of smallerdrawers, trays andthe like, case-supporting means on the sides of saidcase comprising an obliquely positioned lat- I erally projecting flangemember adapted normally to frictionally cooperate with the surfaces of.said case adapted to operate upon thesurface of the runways vandanti-frlctionally carry' the case to. and from said upright members whensaid frictionally-engaging members are manually separated from contactwith said runways.

'20. A sideless compressor and retainer unit adapted to sitdisengagingly within a drawer, said unit comprising 'a base having afixed upright head-end member, a pivotally attached foot-end member, anupright member carried upon said base movable longitudinally withrespect to said base, means on said upright member cooperating with saidbase whereby said upright member is retained/ at desired positions uponsaid base, and means for engaging material to be placed within saidretainer comprising a rod-likemember fixed to said head-end member anddetachably engaging said foot-end member whereby the foot-end member maybe pivoted away from said rod-like member to free-the end thereof forinsertion of material.

21. In combination with a drawer, a removable oompressorand retainerunit adapted to fit disengagingly within a drawer, said unit comprisinga base having a fixed upright end, an upright member upon said basemovable longitudinally with respect to said base, means. on said uprightmember cooperating with said base whereby said upright member isretained against vertical and lateral displacement, other means on saidupright member releasably cooperating with said base whereby saidupright may be retained against longitudinal displacement with respectto said base, and a. hinged end on said base capable of being swung freeof the base end to which it is attached to permit the removal andreplacement of said upright member upon the cooperative engaging means,on said base.

22. A compressor and retainer unit, adapted to removably sit withinadrawer, said unit comprising a base having upright ends, an uprightmember carried by said base movable longitudinally with respect to saidbase, guideways upon said upright member adapted to s'lidingly engagesaid base, manually releasable means on said upright member cooperatingwith said base whereby said upright member may be retained at desiredpositions upon said base, a material retaining member adapted to havematerial threaded thereon suspended between said upright ends andpassing through said upright member, one oflsaid ends being hingedwhereby it may be lowered to free one .end of said retaining member forthe receipt and removal of terial;

" CHARLES I. STREETER.

said upright member andma-

